Bartlett Police reports for June 13-19, 2016

The Bartlett Police Department (BPD) handled the following incidents for the period of June 13-19, 2016. This listing includes the most notable incidents for the reporting period and does not necessarily reflect all police activity.

Editor’s note: All suspects are presumed to be innocent until proven guilty in a court of law, and values are estimated for stolen/damaged items. These are brief summaries of detailed BPD reports.

June 13

Yale Road (auto burglary)

Someone tried to break into a person’s car June 12 while it was at Nesbit Park (5760 Yale Road), according to the owner’s report the next morning.

The victim said someone tried to force the driver’s door lock upen with some type of tool, possibly screw driver. The suspect failed but did an estimated $500 in damages to the lock.

The incident happened between about 1 p.m. and 2:15 p.m.

Stage Road (aggravated robbery in progress)

A black male attempted an armed robbery at a pharmacy but was soon captured on June 13.

The suspect was gone from Bartlett Prescription Shop (5675 Stage Road) when officers arrived. The business owner said the suspect entered holding a gun and wearing a white surgical mask. He demanded that all employees get behind the counter. He gave one person a black bag and said to fill it with all the pharmacy’s Percocet (a narcotic pain reliever). He threatened to shoot one of them if the bag didn’t get filled fast enough.

Officers searched the area and found a black man matching the description walking near the corner of McCulley and Marbry. A witness said he saw that man in the back yard of a Marbry home, just a short distance west of Bartlett Prescription Shop.

Evidence found in that back yard included a gun left atop a black plastic trash bag that was filled with thousands of pills, as well as a medical-type mask, white latex gloves and a black-and-red hat nearby.

Officers also found more pills in that back yard, leading toward the woods between the residence and Shelby Street.

An officer told the suspect he was being questions about a nearby business that had just been robbed, but he didn’t specify what type of business. Without prompting, the suspect claimed he didn’t rob “the pharmacy.”

Officers found 2,842 pills in the bag and another 1,434 in the back yard.

Coachhouse Cove (auto burglary)

Another ineffective burglar tried to break into a car parked outside a Coachouse Cove home.

The victim said it happened between 11 p.m. June 12 and 10:15 a.m. June 13. She didn’t hear any disturbance or see any suspects during that time.

The responding officer saw damage to the driver’s side front door near the door handle where someone had used a tool to try opening the door. Nothing was stolen. An officer lifted fingerprints from the front driver’s side door frame and window.

Newstone Drive (auto burglary)

A burglar nabbed a woman’s American Express credit card left in her car, the victim reported on June 13. She said the theft happened between 5 p.m. June 10 and 7 a.m. June 13.

The vehicle was a 2003 gold Ford Taurus. The responding officer saw that the car’s windows were partially rolled down and there were no signs of forced entry.

June 14

Stage Road (auto burglary)

She saw a black male wearing a white T-shirt and tan shorts, entering a black SUV. He emerged emptyhanded and ran westbound on Stage into the area of Lynchburg and Blackwell. The incident happened around 2:25 p.m.

The vehicle was unlocked, and no items were stolen.

June 15

U.S. 64 (auto burglary)

A watchful security guard at Saint Frances Bartlett called police in the pre-dawn hours of June 15 when he saw someone standing beside a car in the Serra Chevrolet parking lot.

The suspicious person was a thin black male standing beside a black Chevrolet Camaro, talking to another person. The guard described the suspect as about 5 feet 10 inches tall with a dark complexion, wearing a dark T-shirt, baggy pants and a dark apron.

The suspect told the guard he was a cook at Bahama Breeze and was looking for items in his vehicle. Then the suspect left, walking westbound behind Jet’s Pizza and disappearing behind the business.

The other person who talked to the suspect was a nurse returning from a meal break. He stopped to talk to the suspect when he saw him next to the Camaro, which had the trunk open and flashers on. The suspect told the nurse he was getting off work and needed a ride home to Raleigh. The Camaro was unlocked and looked as if someone had rummaged through it.

The officer found a man fitting the description in front of Bubba’s Ale House on U.S. 64. A search of the suspect revealed $6.64 in change, a hair brush and a car cell phone charger.

Officers contacted the vehicle’s owner, who said her car was being serviced at the dealership. She identified the items found on the suspect as hers.

Both the security guard and the nurse also identified the suspect.

June 17

Whitehorn Cove (theft from yard)

A woman reported the theft of her mower’s grass bag catcher ($250) was missing from her back yard on June 17. She last saw it at 10 p.m. June 14 and discovered the theft at 7 p.m. June 15.

Shira (burglary)

A burglar did $1,450 worth of damage to a home and fled with hundreds of dollars in tools, the owner reported on June 18. She said the theft happened between 10:30 a.m. and 3:30 p.m. that day.

The responding officers saw where the suspects attempted to pry open the front door and broke the rear door, possibly with a hammer. A window near the front door was also broken. On the rear porch, officers found a screwdriver left behind.

The owner estimated damages at $800 for the front door, $500 for the rear door and $150 for the window. Items stolen included a saw stand ($60), tile saw ($280), miter saw ($200), router ($280) and pancake air compressor ($100).